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                           <title><![CDATA[Word from Westminster - April 2010]]></title>
                           <description><![CDATA[Word from Westminster, April 2010   I met with both fire-fighters and the Deputy Chief Fire Officer to examine the proposal to change the fire cover in the Borough. It was clear from both meetings that the proposal was obviously a cost cutting exercise and once again it appears that we in Yarmouth are bearing the brunt of this, as we did in the early nineties. I have expressed my views to the Deputy Chief Fire Officer that to reduce the number of fire-fighters in Gorleston by 14 (retained staff) is unacceptable. I note that some have the view...]]></description>
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                           <pubDate>Tue, 30 Mar 2010 11:38:19</pubDate>
                           
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                           <title><![CDATA[Word from Westminster - March 2010]]></title>
                           <description><![CDATA[Word from Westminster, March 2010.   I want to start this month&rsquo;s column by paying tribute to Dick Barker who died last month. Dick was not just a Borough Councillor but a friend and it is clear from the number of people who attended his funeral that he had hundreds of friends, mainly because he was a kind and caring person. He was easy to talk to and whilst showing his opinion he always listened to other points of view. I am fortunate to have known Dick and counted him as a friend, and an excellent councillor for the...]]></description>
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                           <pubDate>Tue, 23 Mar 2010 03:09:48</pubDate>
                           
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                           <title><![CDATA[Word from Westminster - February 2010]]></title>
                           <description><![CDATA[Word from Westminster, February 2010   As someone who has regularly used the Gapton roundabout since being constructed, I have got used to the regular delays, and having spent thousands of pounds already on at least two road layout changes and now embarking on another, I have to say that last week without traffic lights from the Gapton Estate appear to have resulted in better flowing traffic! It therefore begs the question of why has there not been an experiment for a while without traffic lights? The decision by Norfolk County Council to turn some of our street lights...]]></description>
                           <link><![CDATA[word-from-westminster---february-2010]]></link>
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                           <pubDate>Tue, 23 Mar 2010 03:09:00</pubDate>
                           
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                           <title><![CDATA[Word from Westminster - January 2010]]></title>
                           <description><![CDATA[Word from Westminster.   Three items of good news came out of Westminster in the run up to Christmas which impact on many people in Great Yarmouth. Firstly was the announcement of the &pound;12.4 million rebuild and refurbishment of Great Yarmouth High School which continues the huge investment we have seen in our schools since 1997. There is no doubt more to be done and schools like the Greenacre School will need to be looked at next, but the second piece of good news is that Oriel County High School is to get academy status. It has long been...]]></description>
                           <link><![CDATA[word-from-westminster---january-2010]]></link>
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                           <pubDate>Tue, 23 Mar 2010 03:08:08</pubDate>
                           
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                           <title><![CDATA[Word from Westminster - December 2009]]></title>
                           <description><![CDATA[Word from Westminster.   There was huge disappointment last week in the result of the vote for funding of a project to secure &pound;50,000 as part of The People&rsquo;s Millions award. Newtown Youth Centre in north Yarmouth was clearly a prime candidate for the money and it is heartbreaking that we couldn&rsquo;t get enough votes to win on the day. However, the way the community pulled together to do all in our power to encourage people to support the bid was truly wonderful.  I am confident that everyone involved will continue to support the youngsters who use the...]]></description>
                           <link><![CDATA[word-from-westminster---december-2009]]></link>
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                           <pubDate>Tue, 01 Dec 2009 12:20:14</pubDate>
                           
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                           <title><![CDATA[Word from Westminster - November 2009]]></title>
                           <description><![CDATA[Word from Westminster.   I have always applauded and supported the many cadet troops around the constituency and am proud to be Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group for Sea Cadets at Westminster. It gave me a great deal of pleasure to welcome the Minister for Defence and Veterans, Kevan Jones MP, who accepted my invitation to visit Great Yarmouth last week to see first hand the enthusiasm of the youngsters and the volunteers. Due to limited time we could not visit every cadet unit but the visit gave the Minister a snapshot of what&rsquo;s involved by visiting...]]></description>
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                           <pubDate>Tue, 03 Nov 2009 12:21:29</pubDate>
                           
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                           <title><![CDATA[Word from Westminster - October 2009]]></title>
                           <description><![CDATA[Word from Westminster   Once again I can report on a busy month during September. Despite the ongoing issue about MPs long break from Parliament still reverberating in some sections of the media, as well as the normal office commitments, I had appointments every working day. As you probably know, an MP&rsquo;s job is a full time one, even during recess and no MP should have any other outside paid employment. I attended two exhibitions last month, the first being the Offshore Europe in Aberdeen. This has been a regular in my diary for many years and this bi...]]></description>
                           <link><![CDATA[word-from-westminster---october-2009]]></link>
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                           <pubDate>Tue, 29 Sep 2009 04:32:10</pubDate>
                           
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                           <title><![CDATA[Word from Westminster - September 2009]]></title>
                           <description><![CDATA[Word from Westminster September 09   August has been a busy month for me, contrary to the view that MPs have long holidays! I have had a full diary, meeting constituents, local business representatives and parliamentary colleagues. First it was a pleasure to show Health Minister Ann Keen MP, some of the excellent facilities in the Borough and meet with many of the key workers who provide us with excellent service. Ann was impressed with everything she saw at the Breast Unit in the James Paget Hospital and enjoyed talking to the nurses and doctors who are leading the...]]></description>
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                           <pubDate>Fri, 04 Sep 2009 10:41:44</pubDate>
                           
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                           <title><![CDATA[Word from Westminster - August 2009]]></title>
                           <description><![CDATA[With the start of the Parliamentary recess we get the &lsquo;obligatory&rsquo; headline of MPs now being on a long holiday break and this year a new group has formed to follow what MPs are doing during our &lsquo;long&rsquo; break away from Westminster. Can I say once again that the vast majority of MPs, from the Prime Minister down to the humble backbencher, the work continues throughout the summer, apart from a couple of weeks break. I have had requests from a few constituents to complete an online survey of my commitments for the summer &ndash; I have no intention of...]]></description>
                           <link><![CDATA[word-from-westminster---august-2009]]></link>
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                           <pubDate>Fri, 07 Aug 2009 12:53:21</pubDate>
                           
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                           <title><![CDATA[Word from Westminster]]></title>
                           <description><![CDATA[Word from Westminster - July 2009  There is no doubt the main topic of discussion over the past two months or so has been that of MPs' allowances and expenses, and the debate on this has centred quite rightly around reform and the independent review by Sir Christopher Kelly. However, some changes have already been made to make our parliamentary system -more transparent, such as the publication of those MPs' who have outside paid second jobs and the time spent on them. Surely the right move is to stop any MP from having outside paid work - I believe...]]></description>
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                           <pubDate>Tue, 30 Jun 2009 04:52:34</pubDate>
                           
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                           <title><![CDATA[Word from Westminster - June 2009]]></title>
                           <description><![CDATA[It is only right that this month&rsquo;s article concentrates on the question of MP&rsquo;s allowances and expenses and as someone who has been brought into the news I feel the need to put the record straight. Since being elected in 1997, I have always acted on what I considered were the best interests of my constituents and certainly not for financial gain. However I decided at an early stage not to purchase a property in London as a second home but to rent instead as it was not my priority to get into the &lsquo;housing market&rsquo; in order to make...]]></description>
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                           <pubDate>Mon, 01 Jun 2009 05:18:34</pubDate>
                           
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                           <title><![CDATA[Word from Westminster - May 2009]]></title>
                           <description><![CDATA[Last year I contacted parents and teachers about the need for a 20mph speed limit around our schools, with the overwhelming response supporting this idea, I am also aware of the current campaign in our Northern Parishes. So I was pleased to see the Government last week making it policy to reduce the speed limits in some areas, schools for example, to 20mph. The County Council, who have responsibility for the highways, explained to me after I presented them with the support for the 20mph limit, that it would be difficult and costly to implement. So let&rsquo;s now hope we...]]></description>
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                           <pubDate>Mon, 01 Jun 2009 05:16:33</pubDate>
                           
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                           <title><![CDATA[Word from Westminster - April 2009]]></title>
                           <description><![CDATA[When John Prescott was asked whether there was any truth in the rumour he was to buy a property in North Norfolk, he responded in his inimitable fashion by ridiculing the idea by suggesting the only good thing to have come out of Norfolk was Oliver Cromwell! Well of course we all know Oliver Cromwell did not come from Norfolk but there are many great people and things to have come out of our fine county, too many to mention. However John is not known for his subtlety but just as we did when the Chris Evans&rsquo; gameshow, &lsquo;Don&rsquo;t forget...]]></description>
                           <link><![CDATA[word-from-westminster---april-2009]]></link>
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                           <pubDate>Mon, 01 Jun 2009 05:15:41</pubDate>
                           
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                           <title><![CDATA[Word from Westminster - March 2009]]></title>
                           <description><![CDATA[Word from Westminster, March 2009    Apart from the state of the banking sector and the economy, the main debate has been the issue of the Royal Mail and whether there should be a partial sale of the service while keeping the majority in public ownership. Now on the face of it there is a need for an injection of cash to modernise, but the Government has already given &pound;1.2 billion in a loan for this. In the past two years there has been a turnaround in the fortunes of the Royal Mail by turning a &pound;1 million...]]></description>
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                           <pubDate>Tue, 03 Mar 2009 11:59:01</pubDate>
                           
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                           <title><![CDATA[Word From Westminster]]></title>
                           <description><![CDATA[Word from Westminster, February 2009  Firstly, let me say what a delight it was to watch the inauguration of the new US president. While it is hugely significant for America to have its first black president, what must also be remembered are his first acts of his presidency; namely the closing of Guantanamo Bay and his economic stimulus measures. The world is looking to the US to provide an economic stimulus and hopefully Gordon Brown and Alistair Darling&rsquo;s own measures will help in to that end. Incidentally, it is interesting to note that the British Government&rsquo;s measures have been...]]></description>
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                           <pubDate>Fri, 20 Feb 2009 12:14:21</pubDate>
                           
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                           <title><![CDATA[Word From Westminster - September 2008]]></title>
                           <description><![CDATA[Word from Westminster - September 08   When the conference season is over it is the time for Parliament to return and it usually starts with a whimper, however with everything that has gone on in the past few weeks, I am sure it will be a very different story. The problems with the economy in the world will no doubt be at the top of the agenda and I am sure decisions taken in America will impact on what happens here and whilst much debate has been had on the question of Northern Rock and lately the Bradford...]]></description>
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                           <pubDate>Wed, 30 Nov -0001 12:00:00</pubDate>
                           
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                           <title><![CDATA[Word From Westminster - July 08]]></title>
                           <description><![CDATA[The recommendation from the Boundary Committee for the new unitary authority was a huge disappointment for everyone &ndash; the meeting between all Norfolk and Suffolk MP&rsquo;s and the committee resulted in 100% condemnation from all MP&rsquo;s.   The one positive aspect that came out was that the committee agreed that there was a strong case for combining Great Yarmouth and Waveney (Lowestoft) authorities but were worried that both the local Conservative controlled councils had &ldquo;very weak political leadership&rdquo; Both Bob Blizzard, MP for Waveney and myself are continuing through the consultation to prove the case for a joint authority...]]></description>
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                           <pubDate>Wed, 30 Nov -0001 12:00:00</pubDate>
                           
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                           <title><![CDATA[Word From Westminster - June 2008]]></title>
                           <description><![CDATA[Following the recent furore over
the leaked Natural England report which mentioned flooding some of
our Norfolk coastline, a debate was held in Parliament on the issue
of flooding and coastal erosion with Environment Minister Phil
Woolas. This debate was extremely well attended by Norfolk MPs and
provided a real show of strength on how seriously we in Norfolk
take the protection of our coastline. In the debate I raised the
issue of offshore dredging, and my belief that its occurrence may
well be advancing the rate of coastal erosion we are experiencing.
I have raised this issue with the Minister since the debate
requesting Government funding for a programme...]]></description>
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                           <pubDate>Wed, 30 Nov -0001 12:00:00</pubDate>
                           
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                           <title><![CDATA[Word From Westminster - May 2008]]></title>
                           <description><![CDATA[There is no
doubt that the past month has been very testing politically
especially with regard to the question of the abolition of the 10p
tax rate. Following the campaign waged by many of my backbench
colleagues, including myself, the Chancellor and Prime Minister
accepted the need to compensate those that will lose out from the
change. The fact that there was a change of mind on the issue
should not be seen as a weakness in the leadership. Instead it
demonstrates that through our democratic system we successfully
persuaded our Prime Minister that the change was not acceptable. I
for one will be keeping an eye on this...]]></description>
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                           <pubDate>Wed, 30 Nov -0001 12:00:00</pubDate>
                           
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                           <title><![CDATA[Word From Westminster - April 08]]></title>
                           <description><![CDATA[The six post offices recently announced as up for closure in our local consultation came as no surprise to me. However, there has been some justified criticism of the process and questions raised in Parliament over the procedure, but it is not good enough for the opposition parties to opportunistically and blankly oppose all closures and ignore the real issues that exist. The increasing preference of consumers and agencies to use email and direct debit has taken business away from post offices, with around 1,600 branches serving fewer than 20 customers a day and incurring a loss of £8...]]></description>
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                           <pubDate>Wed, 30 Nov -0001 12:00:00</pubDate>
                           
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                           <title><![CDATA[Word From Westminster - February 08]]></title>
                           <description><![CDATA[The return to Parliament following Christmas and New Year has certainly been busy, and one of the first Bills looked at since the return was the Energy Bill. The Bill contains measures to promote carbon capture and storage and renewables, and I look forward to the debates on these in the coming months, though I am sure the most contentious debates will be held over the measures concerning new nuclear build. The real issue for me is the question of what to do with the nuclear waste, and the Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Committee which I sit on will...]]></description>
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                           <pubDate>Wed, 30 Nov -0001 12:00:00</pubDate>
                           
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                           <title><![CDATA[Word From Westminster - March 08]]></title>
                           <description><![CDATA[Being MP often gives me the opportunity to meet some extraordinary people and organisations. Last month was one of those months which threw up several such opportunities.  I always have time for people who give their time freely to help others, and our Voluntary Sector Partnership brings together hundreds of such individuals. It was therefore a pleasure for me to address the VSP conference early in the month at the Marina Centre. With the theme of the conference being ‘Helping to Build Great Yarmouth’s Future’, the event was an ideal opportunity to commend the voluntary sector for their efforts...]]></description>
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                           <pubDate>Wed, 30 Nov -0001 12:00:00</pubDate>
                           
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                           <title><![CDATA[Word From Westminster - January 08]]></title>
                           <description><![CDATA[The beginning of the year is time to look forward to what it might bring us and I am confident that this year, as in the past few years will see the continuation of the regeneration of Yarmouth, but first it is a time for my reflections of some of the events of 2007. The success of the year has to be the start of the Outer Harbour - after many years of meetings and negotiations we finally saw the start of this exciting project, some said it will never happen, well it has! The pride I felt presenting over...]]></description>
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                           <pubDate>Wed, 30 Nov -0001 12:00:00</pubDate>
                           
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                           <title><![CDATA[Word From Westminster - December 07]]></title>
                           <description><![CDATA[November has certainly been a turbulent time at Westminster. The well documented problems of the HMRC data going missing and the investigation into the misreporting of donations to the party, as well as Northern Rock, Avian Flu and Bluetongue, have all increased pressure on Gordon Brown. I am sure this will be a test of his leadership skills, but I am confident that he will come through this difficult time as a much stronger leader. On the issue of party funding, there is legislation coming forward to provide greater clarity and clearer guidance about defending our system of democracy, and...]]></description>
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                           <pubDate>Wed, 30 Nov -0001 12:00:00</pubDate>
                           
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                           <title><![CDATA[Word From Westminster - November 07]]></title>
                           <description><![CDATA[With the return of Parliament, October has been a very busy month in Westminster. Early in the month I was pleased to team up
with Bob Blizzard, MP for Lowestoft, and 1st East, the Government’s regeneration company for Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft, in welcoming business leaders from across the UK to the House of Commons to
highlight the fantastic business opportunities the two areas have to offer. We were delighted to be joined by Government Minister Yvette
Cooper who told us about the exciting opportunities regeneration is creating. The event went extremely well and Bob, myself and 1st East will now be working...]]></description>
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                           <pubDate>Wed, 30 Nov -0001 12:00:00</pubDate>
                           
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